[USMA:35940] Re: BBC article

[Martin Vlietstra]

I think that part of the blame for the lack of metrication in the UK and US must be laid at the feet of Henry VII and Henry VIII.  They, above all others, ensured that England and Wales had a consistent system of weights and measures - this sytem was later forced on the Irish, Scots and the colonies in North America.  The system worked well (much like the Ford Model T) so nobody complained.  In contrast, on the eve of the French Revolution, every trader in France was on the make by using different sets of weights and measures so that when the metric system was introduced the oppositon was not very large.  Similarly, when Germany was unified, they found that they had a multitude of systems of weights and measures, so they chose the best one that was available - the metric system.   The UK and the US are still driving their Ford Model T and are unwilling to replace it with an up-to-date car because of the cost of the new car, even though the new car's maintenance and fuel consumption is much lower. ----- Original Message ----- From: Harry Wyeth To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 2:20 PM Subject: [USMA:35935] BBC article Interesting article from the BBC, especially the reader comments.  It seems that both in the US and UK there are a lot of people who value being different from the rest of the world just for the sake of being different.  There may be some strictly economic arguments against euro-ization, but I have the feeling that many Brits just want to stick with pounds (the money kind) and pounds--just because they are British.  It would be nice if we here in the US could stress how advanced and innovative we are supposed to be by showing a willingness to adapt, instead of trying to always be different from the rest of the world in so many ways. Look at our miserable auto industry, for instance.   HARRY WYETH